I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a new method and apparatus for cleaning and treating teeth and gums, and in particular, to a new method and apparatus of interrupting and arresting the natural formation of plaque and calculus on teeth.
II. Prior Art and Other Considerations
The use of magnetic fields to treat various properties of fluids, particularly water, is well-known within the realm of industrial and/or commercial activity. Typically, such treatment has been used in the prevention of scale build-up or to prevent the formation of encrustations on surfaces generally associated with the various aqueous environments inherent to such industrial or commercial activities. Devices for propelling pulsating jet streams of fluid against the surfaces of teeth and gums for the purpose of oral hygiene are well-known in the prior art.
Dental diseases are caused by microbial infections involving identified microbial populations. These populations utilize colonization as a pathogen modality and colonization is thought to be dependent upon plaque formation. Accordingly, by the prevention of plaque and calculus formation on teeth, dental diseases could also be prevented.
Due to the presence of electrovalent bonding, the removal of plaque and calculus, once formed, from the surfaces of teeth presents a very difficult task. At the present time, devices or methods for the "effective" removal of plaque and calculus from the surfaces of teeth are limited to either the metal tools and procedures used by dentists or dental personnel to scrape away such build-up or to the use of ultra sonic techniques. While both techniques have generally proven to be effective in removing plaque and calculus from the surfaces of teeth, neither technique is available to the general public without professional supervision and/or assistance and the associated expense.